I'm a bad Omen
by Rina Hiragi
Summary: Alison was on holiday in America when the Zombie virus was released, she lost her family and every group shes been with. She has been hiding alone in the woods for a month searching for a new group. When she finally finds one she's relieved but still fears they will die just as everyone else she's ever been close to has and believes that she is a bad Omen.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I have been following this group for a few hours now through the woods; I assume they still didn't know I'm here since nobody has tried to talk to me but after all this time I think we have all developed a sort of sixth sense that lets us know when we're being watched or followed.  
My plan is to approach them slowly with caution when they set up camp for the night and beg them to let me join their group. I hope they will see how desperate I am and let me join out of pity, but you can never be sure nowadays. People tend to stick together now, everyone is wary of strangers. I mean, I am too, but these people seem safe and close with each other. Besides, like I said before; I'm truly desperate. I can't survive out here on my own any longer.  
I have been quite far behind them for the 3 hours that I've been stalking them; hiding behind bushes and trees, watching through the leaves. One time this guy with a crossbow heard me trip over a rock, I made a loud thudding noise but kept my mouth shut tightly, he spun round quickly in my direction, told everyone to be quiet and starred at the bush I was crouching behind. I swear he looked me straight in the eyes from between two leaves, but a few seconds later he just mumbled something about it probably being a rabbit and they carried on walking. I wondered if maybe he had seen me but didn't say anything, but I dismissed the thought. Nobody would just ignore a potential predator or attacker.

I think I've lost the group. A few minutes ago I was thirsty, so I crouched down to get out my bottle of water, and then when I looked up they had disappeared. It only took me about 2 minutes to get out the water, take a few swigs and shove it back into my backpack but they're gone! I'm seriously panicking now, I can't lose them. They're the first people I've seen in a month. I sighed and bent over, placing my hands on my thighs and taking deep breaths. It's something I learned to do before "this" started; it helps me cope with stress. After a few deep breaths I hear it. It's a low, throaty groan. It sounds close so I stand up and turn around, pulling out my pocket knife as I do so, but when I spin around its there- right in front of me- a walker!  
It speeds towards me, I take a step back but my foot catches on something and I topple over, hitting my head against the dirt hard and drop my pocket knife too far to reach in time.  
"Help!" I scream as the walker collapses on me. I try to push it away with my arms, but it's too heavy. It snaps its remaining teeth at me, trying to take a bite out of my face.  
"Oh God, somebody help, please!" I cry. The walker's jaws are getting closer and closer to my face as my arms weaken. I can feel tears streaming down my face as I accept my oncoming death. So this is it, the end of my short life.  
Abruptly I hear footsteps running in my direction, lots of footsteps and yelling. The group! They've come to save me.  
"Get it off her, quick!" I hear a man shout as two guys grab the walker, pull him off me and a slender woman with short grey hair stabs it in the head effortlessly.  
I sigh with relief as the woman cleans the blood off from her knife and a tall black woman with dreadlocks and a samurai sword offers me her hand. I take it and she pulls me up swiftly. I suddenly feel dizzy, the trees and people around me start to spin and I lose my balance. The man with the shaggy hair and crossbow catches me and holds me upright.  
"You alright?" He asks in a mumble.  
I smile, "yeah, I'm fine."  
Just as I said that everything faded to black and I passed out.

When I woke up we were still in the woods but it was dark. I looked up; through the tree tops I could see the sky. I sighed and sat up, my head aching. I was in their camp sitting on somebody's blanket. I could see the whole group from here; they were all sitting around a small fire eating. Oh God, food! I hadn't eaten properly in weeks; I hoped they would give me some. I stood up and walked cautiously towards them feeling self conscious. I laughed softly to myself, what a great time to start feeling shy and awkward again.  
As I approached them the woman with short grey hair looked over at me and stood up quickly, the others noticed and did the same until they were all facing me, starring looking either concerned or angry.  
"Um...hi?" I whispered my throat croaky because I had just woken up.  
A tall broad man with a huge bushy beard stepped towards me, but didn't come too close, "what were you doin' out in the woods?" He asked me directly.  
I saw no reason to lie. "I was following you."  
He raised his eyebrows and looked angrily curious "why?"  
I sighed, "I- I wanted to join your group." I told him honestly.  
I looked around at all the different faces starring at me and thought about everyone's individual stories. How they had survived, who they survived with, who they had lost... I wondered what they thought of me. Most of them probably thought I was there to spy on them and report back to somebody who wanted to harm them, but I hoped they didn't really think that.  
The large man looked at me with a judging glare; it was obvious he was their leader, so he was probably trying to decide whether or not I seemed suspicious.  
"Why do you want to join us?" He asked me.  
"I lost my last group." I said solemnly and looked down at my feet, then back up at him. "I've been living out here on my own for a month. You are the first people I've seen in 3 weeks. I- I can't survive out here on my own any longer. Please." I told them all desperately. I felt my insides clenching. If they didn't let me join them, if they didn't take me in, I was going to die out here.  
The man starred at me for a few seconds before exhaling loudly, "follow me." He said and started walking away from the rest of the group. Confused I looked at them for reassurance. The lady with the grey hair nodded towards the direction of the man so I decided to do as he said and followed him. He took me to the side of their camp safety line- 3 long lines of wires stretching out around trees to stop walkers from getting in.  
We walked until we could no longer see the rest of the group. I panicked for a few seconds that this would be him kicking me out but instead he stopped and crossed his arms and faced me.  
"Alright, if I'm even gonna think about lettin' ya in the group, I gotta ask ya a few questions first. You need to answer them completely honestly." He told me sternly.  
I shook my head, a surge of relief waving through my body. He might let me in! I had a smidge of hope!  
"Okay, first question; how many walkers have you killed?" He asked.  
I thought about it for a few seconds trying to recount every walker I had killed in the past year.  
"About 20 or 30." I told him nervously, hoping I had answered how he would see that as correct.  
"Alright," he paused, "how many people have you killed?"  
My heart stopped. Was this his method, if you've killed people you can't enter? Oh God I can't tell him. I bit my lip anxiously.  
"I need to know." He said firmly.  
I sighed, looked down to the ground and told him, "1." I looked back up at him.  
He nodded, "Why?"  
I remembered it all too vividly and felt the pain of it all come flooding back.  
"I killed him because... because he tried to rape me." I whispered loud enough for him to hear.  
He nodded again, "fair enough. You can stay with us until I make my decision." He said and started walking back towards the group, I followed him eagerly.  
"Okay, thanks." I uttered gratefully.  
As we walked back he looked down at me, "how old are you anyway?"  
"16." I said casually.  
He half smiled, "you're a little older than my son."  
"What's his name?" I asked.  
"Carl." He replied.  
I didn't know what else to say so I just nodded.  
"What's your name?" He enquired curiously.  
"Alison Roberts."  
Now it was his turn to nod.  
We approached the group, the lady with the grey hair looked at the man with a suspicious look on her face, he nodded at her and she smiled at me.  
"Alright then," he said to me, "my name is Rick Grimes."  
I felt a sudden shock. Like when you get déjà voux and it bugs you because you just know you've heard or seen something before, but you can't remember where or when.  
Rick looked at me curiously, "what is it?" he asked.  
"Uh... nothing." I mumbled.  
He shook his head then turned to the group, "alright everyone, this is Alison. She's gonna stay here 'til I decided whether to let her join the group or not."  
He walked off towards the edge of the camp and disappeared behind a bush.  
Everyone was staring at me now. I didn't know what to do, so I just smiled and gave them all a pathetic wave. The lady with the grey hair walked up to me, "hi, I'm Carol."  
"Hello, Carol." I said awkwardly. She smiled at me, and there was something comforting in her smile, it reminded me of my mum.  
"Do you want something to eat? You look like you haven't eaten properly in days."  
"Weeks actually." I corrected her jokingly and nodded. She brought me a plate with baked beans and some strange meat. I didn't care what it was, I sat down beside her and shovelled it in my mouth as fast as I could.  
"Jesus, you are hungry!" She laughed.  
"I've been living off berries, nuts and the occasional rat." I told her weakly.  
"Well you'll be hapy to know that's the finest meal we get out here," she pointed at the remaining slices of meat on my plate, "squirrel."  
I laughed and finished what was left on my plate.  
"Daryl caught a few squirrels just for us." She joked  
"Who's, Daryl then?" I asked her curiously.  
She looked around, squinted and pointed towards a tree.  
"You see that tree, well look up in the lower branches,"  
I nodded.  
"That's Daryl."  
I nodded, "Oh, the crossbow guy!" I gasped.  
She giggled, "yeah, the crossbow guy."  
As we laughed a boy that looked about my age with brown hair and a sheriffs hat shuffled towards us. He seemed about my age so I assumed that was Ricks son.  
"Carl?" I asked him nervously.  
"Yeah, why?" He shot back.  
"Your dad told me about you, I was just guessing."  
Carl nodded and Carol smiled.  
"What'd he say?" Carl asked.  
"Nothing important." I said quietly.  
"So, your accent, you're British?" He asked me casually.  
"Yep. I'm British." I replied bluntly.  
He scratched the back of his head and sat down, "I was just wonderin'... if you're British, how come you're here?"  
I sighed, "Well me, my mum and my little brother came to America as a holiday. We were only supposed to spend two weeks here but... I guess you could say we had to extend our stay." I felt tears coming into my eyes just thinking about it but forced them back as hard as I could.  
"Oh," Carl muttered. "That's really crappy I guess." He said.  
I laughed to hide my pain, "yes, it is really crappy. Ah, sweet irony. We came here for the two weeks the world came to an end. That's what I call pure great luck!" I said sarcastically.  
He smiled a little but looked at his feet sadly.  
"I'll leave you two alone." Carol said kindly and stood up and walked away.  
"My mom died." Carl said solemnly.  
"Hey, so did mine! We have that in common." I tried to make a joke out of it but he didn't laugh. I sighed and leaned back, "so when did yours die?"  
"A few months ago." He told me.  
"Mine died a few weeks after this started." I said.  
He looked back up at me.  
"What about your little brother? What happened to him?"  
That was something I couldn't talk about without crying. I guess I took too long to answer because Carl shook his head, "sorry."  
"No, it's- it's fine." I felt my throat closing up. "My little brother, um... he disappeared."  
Carl raised his eyebrows, puzzled.  
"It's kind of a long story." I told him, trying to hold the tears in.  
"I've got time if you want to tell me." He said kindly.  
"Alright," I nodded and took a deep breath, "I'll try and shorten it. Basically, when we were with our first group, a few months after the outbreak or whatever, before my mum... died, there was a fire. There were about 60 people, we were all staying in an abandoned warehouse, and someone fucked up making the dinner and- well," I took another deep breath, "Everyone was running around, screaming and panicking trying to get out, but the doors had been bolted shut to keep the walkers out so as this huge crowd of like 60 people were trying to pry the doors open my mum left me with Maxi so she could help. We were in the middle of the huge crowd. She told me not to let go of his hand but... I did." I mumbled weakly. I felt the tears come into my eyes and start dribbling down my cheeks. I coughed and wiped them away quickly.  
Carl looked shocked and upset, "then what?" he asked me quietly.  
"One minute I was holding his hand tightly then the next it just slipped away and he was being pulled away with the crowd. I looked for him, but as the doors were opened everyone ran like hell as fast as they could and some people were trampled. But when we got outside I couldn't find him, I tried to go back into the building to get him but some guy grabbed me and told me it was too dangerous. It wasn't too long before the walkers came, so my mum and I had to go. We had no other choice. The worst part is; I don't even know what happened to him. He could have been trampled on, been burned to death by the fire or managed to escape but not find us before the walkers came. The worst thing I can imagine though is him still being alive. Him alive, but all alone with no one to talk to. He was only 5 at the time, he'd be 6 now. Can you imagine a 6 year old trying to fend for themselves, all alone?" By this point I was sobbing. Carl seemed to be sympathetic with me though. Throughout my story telling he just nodded and frowned.  
I frantically wiped my tears and snot away then took a few deep breaths, "I can remember him screaming just as his hand slipped out of mine, 'Alice! Alice help me!' with his little 5 year old toddler voice, all alone." I said sadly.  
Carl just sat and stared at me for a while until I stopped crying.  
"I killed my mom." He whispered.  
I looked up at him, my vision blurry from the tears, "what?"  
He nodded. I could see his eyes getting wet as he spoke, "My mum was having a baby in a prison, but at the same time as walkers were coming... we had to cut her stomach open and pull the baby out. Afterwards, I had to shoot her in the head." He sounded casual, but I know what he must have been feeling.  
We sat in a depressing silence for a few seconds before I decided to break it.  
"Well, that was fun story sharing time we just had." I said sarcastically to lighten the mood.  
He chuckled a little and wiped his nose with his sleeve, "yeah."  
I wondered about something, "Did it live?"  
He looked confused, "huh?"  
"The baby your mum had. Did it live?"  
He smiled, "yeah. She's over there," he motioned towards Carol. I couldn't see a baby though. "Her name is Judith."  
I nodded, "cute." We just sat together in silence for a while, but it wasn't awkward. It was nice just _being_ with somebody after a month of being alone.  
Rick came over, "Carl, I'm putting Judith to bed now. You wanna join us?"  
Carl nodded, "sure." He stood up and followed Rick, before he left he turned to me, "It was nice talkin' to someone my own age for once."  
I smiled and nodded "nighty night, Carl."  
He smirked as he walked behind the bush.

I sat alone. I wondered what time it was, nobody around seemed to have a watch on.  
Then I realised I didn't know where to sleep or who to ask. I decided that Carol seemed like the best person to ask. I shuffled over to her awkwardly as she packed away a few tins of pineapple into a rucksack.  
"Hey, Carol?" I mumbled.  
She turned her head and smiled, "yeah?"  
"Um, do you know where I'm supposed to sleep?" I asked her shyly.  
"Oh, you're staying the night?" She said blankly.  
I felt a sense of panic hit me. Nobody did say I could spend the night, but nobody said I couldn't either.  
Carol burst out laughing, "your face, ha ha, yeah you have two choices," she stood up and walked over to her pile of blankets which was where I woke up earlier, "you can either sleep next to me," she patted a spot next to her, "or you can sleep up in the tree with Daryl." She nodded towards the tree Daryl was in. I looked up at him from where we were. I could see his legs dangling down.  
I giggled, "I'll take the first one, thanks." She tossed me two blankets and a pillow.  
"Well, I'm gonna hit the hay now. Sleep tight." She said as she lay down and nestled in.  
"Oh by the way, Carol," I said urgently.  
"Yes?" She muttered without looking up at me, her eyes shut tightly.  
"Does anyone around here have a watch or clock?"  
"Glenn does." She whispered, sounding tired.  
I paused for a second, standing staring at her before she realised.  
"Glenn's the Asian guy who's always with the girl with the short brown hair, Maggie."  
"Oh, okay, thanks." I said and set off to find Glenn.  
There weren't many people in the camp; everyone was lying in their beds either asleep or talking quietly. I wondered around for about a minute or two before I saw him and Maggie sitting on the other side of the tiny fire that had been reduced to just a small orange ember now. They were sitting up, leaning against a rock on their blankets holding hands and talking. They were obviously a couple; they appeared good together I thought to myself as I awkwardly walked towards them.  
"Hey, Stranger!" Maggie said cheerfully but quietly since most people were trying to sleep.  
"Hi." I said and smiled. Maggie seemed nice.  
"You're Glenn right?" I asked looking at the Asian guy.  
He nodded, "that's me."  
I crouched down to be at their level.  
"Carol said you have a watch or something. Could you tell me the time?" I asked politely.  
He smiled, "sure." He pulled a pocket watch out of his pocket and read it.  
"It's just gone 10." He told me and put it back in his pocket.  
I smiled at them both as I stood up. "Thanks."  
"Any time." He said as I walked back to my bed next to Carol. She looked as if she was already asleep so I tried to be as quiet as I could.

It felt too strange just lying here surrounded by people and 3 lines of wire to protect me. It was as if I knew I was as safe as I could be, but it just felt like a false safety. It didn't feel real at all. But, sleeping on a thin duvet on top of dirt and stones with a real blanket over me was a lot more comfortable than trying to sleep in a tree for a month. After the first week I had gotten used to it. The more I thought about it, the more I realised this day didn't feel real. I was probably going to be accepted into the group tomorrow and that would be it. Well, until they all died. I was sure they would and it would be my fault. Everyone around me perishes; I guess you could say I'm a bad omen.


	2. Chapter 2

When I woke up it was still dark. I sat up and looked around, the fire had been put out and everyone in the group was fast asleep. All I could hear was the faint sounds of snoring, coughing and the wind blowing through the trees. I gazed up at the sky and through the treetops I could see the stars twinkling down at me. I lay back down, resting my head on my arms and imagined I was back in England camping with my mum and Maxi just like we used to every year. For a few minutes the feeling of dread and paranoia faded away and I was taken back to my childhood when everything was normal. After realising I couldn't get back to sleep I decided to take a walk in the woods. Since there being no technology, books or anything to take my mind off of the state of the world and fear that tomorrow could be my last day with this group. I got up and quietly made my way to the 3 lines of wires protecting us. I paused before climbing over it delicately, wondering if this was a stupid idea, but I decided I wouldn't go too far from the camp.  
I silently wondered through the dark woods, constantly listening for any sounds that would alert me there was a walker nearby. If there wasn't the feeling that any moment could be my last this would have been a very relaxing stroll through the trees.  
After a few minutes, I don't know how many since I don't have any way to check the time, I felt that sixth sense telling me I was being followed. I stood as still as I could for a few seconds, listening as carefully s I could for any tiny noise and then there it was. I heard a branch snap a few feet behind me. I immediately started running and broke into a sprint. I was going way too far out from the cap but if there was a walker behind me I had no other choice. If I ran back to the camp it would follow and the whole group would be in trouble rather than just me. I could hear footsteps running behind me, I was being chased. I felt the wind rushing through my hair and hitting my face bringing tears to my eyes as I sprinted. I suddenly noticed a huge branch and leaped over it just in time. My chest started to weaken and my side ached but I couldn't stop. It hunted me through the woods for a few minutes before I heard a voice. It wasn't far behind me but it was faint, "stop!" I wanted to stop but that could have been a huge mistake, so I didn't stop, I just slowed down and hid behind a tree.  
"Who's there? What do you want?"  
"It's Daryl." He panted.  
I emerged from behind the tree to check it really was him, and it was.  
"Why the hell were you following me? I thought you were a walker!" I whispered angrily.  
"I was followin' you, just like you were followin' us earlier." He mumbled.  
Still confused and getting frustrated I sighed and leaned against the tree to catch my breath.  
"That doesn't exactly answer my question, does it?"  
He bent over, his hands on his thighs taking deep breaths just as I usually did when I was stressed, except I was sure he was just trying to catch his breath.  
"I wanted to know where you were goin'." He told me quietly.  
"Oh what, did you think I was going to report to some secret base about what you're all like and how we could possibly infiltrate your group?" I said sarcastically but he just stared at me as if to say "yeah".  
"Oh come on!" I gasped and tried to laugh it off.  
"Well we don't know you, how are we to know that ya aint here to kill us, we've had bad experiences with new people and groups before, we gotta be careful." He said seriously.  
I nodded. I understood his position, every group of survivors has met at least 1 other group that was corrupt and wanted to ruin them, I guess there was no way I could convince him that I wasn't there to hurt them, I'd just have to let time tell him. But I didn't know how long they would have left with me around. I hated that they would all die because of me, but I was too afraid to be on my own. Maybe if I stayed with this group until we met a new one I could leave before they all perished.  
"Why're you out here anyways?" He asked me quietly and sighed.  
"I couldn't sleep so I came out for a walk."  
"With no weapons or protection?" He presumed.  
"How do you know I don't have a weapon?" I asked, irritated.  
He grunted, "if you'd had a weapon you would 'a pulled it out as soon as you started runnin'."  
"Oh. Yeah, well someone took my weapon when I passed out earlier." I told him.  
"I know, that was me." He mumbled casually.  
I gasped angrily, "what the hell? Why? I need that!" I yelled angrily.  
He sprung forward and threw his hands over my mouth, "Shut up! There could be walkers around!" He hissed looking around nervously.  
"MF MMF MMMFM!"  
I was trying to say "I know I'm sorry" but it came out muffled. He released his hands from my mouth, "Ew! Ya licked me!"  
"Yeah, sorry." I whispered and laughed. Then something odd happened. As he was shaking the spit from his hand and rubbing it against his torn jeans I saw him smile.  
"Oh my God! Are you... smiling?" I teased him sarcastically.  
His face was shadowy in the pale moonlight but he smiled again and laughed quietly.  
"Yeah, it's just I haven't been _licked_ since I was a kid. My big brother, Meryl would pin me down and lick my face until I screamed mercy."  
I giggled trying to imagine a younger Daryl being pinned down and slobbered on by a faceless older brother. The smile began to fade from Daryl's face and his usual cross/jaded expression returned but now it had a slight sadness.  
"Are you okay?" I asked.  
He nodded and turned around, "we should get back to camp."  
"Yeah, I guess." I agreed and we began walking back.  
As we trudged through the dark trees Daryl looked at me, "damn, you really ran far out."  
I smiled, "I was scared!"  
"Yeah, any damn idiot could see that."  
"So, why were you awake?" I asked him, trying to keep the conversation going.  
He raised an eyebrow as he stepped over the large branch I had leaped over on the way here, "what do ya mean?"  
"Well to have seen me leaving camp which made you decide to follow me, you must have been awake too. So, why were you up?" I asked him.  
"Oh, I was on guard; to keep an eye out for walkers or anything'."  
I nodded, "Okay. And the tree was for better vision?"  
He nodded his head in response.  
"Alrighty then." I whispered casually.  
We walked in silence for a while more before we came close enough to hear the faint sounds of snoring. I saw the thin wire lines shining in the moonlight and felt a strange feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt _safe_ here with Daryl and the others.  
Daryl stopped as we came closer to the lines, "so, um, I'm still gonna keep an eye out on you, so don't think you're not bein' watched." I think he was trying to scare me or make me realise that he was still suspicious of me, but he sounded to awkward for the message to sink in.  
"Well, that's not creepy at all, Daryl." I joked and went to step forward but he grabbed my arm tightly and yanked me back. I almost fell but he grabbed me and looked me straight it the eyes.  
"Listen to me, what I'm sayin' is I'm not just gonna let you stay in this group without watchin' you. I don't care if it's creepy or not, this is my family and I'm gonna protect them. Do ya understand me?" He sounded more serious this time, and I'll admit, I was a little terrified.  
I nodded, "of course. I wouldn't hurt them."  
He let go off my arm, "no more little wanders through the woods alone in the middle of the night."  
"Fine." I whispered.  
He started walking ahead of me, but I stopped him, "Daryl," he paused and turned to me, "I promise I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm here to join you, I need you to believe me."  
He didn't say anything. He just looked me up and down, turned around and returned to his tree. I sighed and went back to my "bed". I lay down and starred backup at the night sky.  
Why didn't he believe me? Was I really that suspicious? And what would happen tomorrow if Daryl tells Rick he doesn't trust me, will Rick kick me out? Oh God, too many questions flying around my head I can't think let alone sleep!

Even though I couldn't stop questioning everything, I still managed to drift off after a while and fall back to sleep. I had a dreamless sleep and woke up the next day groggy, with a back ache and my head pounding.  
I rolled over and realised Carol was gone. Her blankets and pillows were gone too, leaving just a dry patch of dirt and grass. For a few seconds I felt a dread rush through my body and panicked. Had they decided not to let me in their group? Had they packed up all their stuff and left me to be a walkers breakfast?  
I quickly sprang up, my covers flying off me and to my surprise, they were all still here. I sighed and smiled, relieved that I had been wrong.  
Everyone was walking around, packing their stuff while Carol and a tall black kid around my age cooked breakfast.  
I was the only person still in "bed", so I got up and sat beside Carol.  
"Good morning, would ya like some breakfast?" She asked me cheerily.  
I smiled, "Yes please."  
"Beans and sweet corn." The kid said to me as he handed me a plate.  
"Thanks." I mumbled and started eating as soon as the plate reached my hands.  
"We have enough beans to last a year, oh wait that's what we want." He joked and Carol laughed. I laughed along too, though I was still too tired to understand why we were laughing. I just wanted to make a new friend.  
I swallowed the last spoonful of beans five minutes after starting them, wiped my mouth and turned to the guy.  
"Hi, I'm Alison."  
"I know, I'm Noah." He said and smiled, "you know, I think I was the newest person here before you came along so thank you."  
We both laughed, "you're welcome." I told him before he stood up.  
"I gotta go pack my stuff up," he put his plate on the ground, "so I'll see you later."  
"Bye." I called to him as he hurried off.  
When I turned around Carol was staring at me grinning.  
"What?" I asked her.  
"You're just making friends with everyone aren't you?" she said and shook her head smiling.  
"Oh! Aha, I guess I am. You know, the weirdest thing is, before all this, you know, people coming back from the dead and trying to eat us, I was a really shy and awkward person. Well, I mean I guess I still am, but now I just ignore the fear and talk to people anyway." I told her.  
She nodded, "Well you gotta now 'a days. You have to make a good impression on people, you've gotta talk to them; get them on your good side. Your life depends on it. Besides, you were out here all on your own, it must have been lonely."  
I nodded and sighed, remembering the weeks in all their awfulness, "it was."  
She raised her eyebrows and gave me a reassuring friendly look.  
"We're gonna be moving out soon, how's about you go pack up the blankets you slept on. Put 'em in my big grey rucksack."  
I nodded and stood up, "Alright."

As I packed away the blankets and pillows I thought about Carol. She was so kind and friendly and clever, she reminded me of my Mother. Then I realized that Carol would be a good Mother-figure for me since I had lost mine. I would never replace my Mum, but Carol would be good at helping me in situations where I would need a mum.  
"Hey, Alice, my dad wants to talk to you." I heard Carl say from behind me as I shoved the last pillow into the rucksack.  
"About what?" I asked nervously.  
"Whether or not you're staying with us."  
I bit my lip nervously and nodded, "Okay."  
I stood up and we walked to where he and his dad had slept last night. As we approached I noticed something small and pink on the floor- a baby.  
"Oh my God!" I gasped and starred at her.  
Carl smiled, "yeah, that's Judith."  
"I haven't seen a baby in, like, a year! She's so cute!" I cooed and crouched next to her.  
Carl laughed and I saw Rick walking over to us. I stood up and took a step away from Judith.  
"She's cute aint she." Rick said as he picked her up and handed her to Carl.  
"Yeah, she is." I muttered.  
Carl walked off carrying Judith and I was left alone with Rick. I felt my heart speed up the more I thought about the outcome of this little chat we were about to have.  
"You look nervous." Rick pointed out casually.  
"I am." I whispered and bit my lip.  
"Alright, well I'll do this quickly then," he told me.  
I felt my heart suddenly stop and my stomach shoot into my throat. Did that mean he was breaking the bad news? Oh God, I was being kicked out wasn't I?  
"I thought about this very hard. I decided last night, but then I had Daryl come to me this morning and tell me about your little adventure in the woods last night."  
I could feel the tears pricking my eyes already but held them back.  
"I've decided to let you stay."  
I knew it, I'm out. I'm being abandoned, I'll be eaten in the woods by walkers and- wait what?  
"What?"I asked, shocked and confused.  
"I'm going to let you join our group. You're just a kid and you seem harmless, but if I find out you're not really here on your own I will kill you." He warned me.  
I was a little scared, but realized I didn't need to be. I was a part of this group and I was safe.  
"Thank you!" I thanked Rick happily and sighed, relieved.  
"You're welcome." He said and smiled.  
"Wait, so what did Daryl say about me then?" I asked him curiously.  
He shook his head and crossed his arms, "He just told me he followed you out into the woods because you couldn't sleep. He said he still doesn't know if he trusts you or not but he warned you about how you're not to be goin for midnight strolls anymore, especially without a weapon."  
I nodded, "Yeah, does he still have my knife?"  
"Yes. You should probably go get that off him, we're about to set off again. We've got a long walk ahead of us." He said.  
"Okay," I turned around, "thanks, Rick." I whispered and ran off to find Daryl.  
I couldn't find Daryl around his tree or the camp so I decided to tell Carol about the good news.  
She was just finishing packing the food into the bags when I shuffled over her, "hey guess what." I said.  
She looked up at me, "what?"  
"Rick just told me I can stay!" I cheered excitedly.  
"I know congratulations." She said and smiled at me.  
Carl saw me and came over.  
"I'm staying!" I told him happily and he grinned.  
"That's great!"  
"Yeah. Oh, do either of you know where Daryl is?" I asked them.  
"He's right there." Carol said and motioned behind me.  
I spun around and saw Daryl coming out from a bush.  
I ran over to him and he stopped.  
"Hey, Rick's letting me stay so can I have my knife back now? Since, you know, I'm gonna need it."  
He nodded, "Oh yeah," he shoved his hand in his pocket for a few seconds before pulling out my little pocket knife and handed it back to me.  
"Thanks," I muttered and turned around.  
"Remember, I'm keepin' my eye on you." He called after me.  
"I know, I know." I replied as I walked away.

I decided I needed a few minutes alone to think. As everyone finished their packing I snuck over the wires and walked a few minutes into the woods. I sat by a tree and thought. I was a part of their group. This would be my fifth group now. I knew they would die if I stayed with them for too long, so I wouldn't stick around forever. I made a promise to myself that if I stayed too long and somebody died while I was with them- I would leave right then and there, no matter the circumstances.  
After a while of sitting by the tree thinking I noticed a bush a few feet away from me shuffling. I peered into the spaces between leaves and saw shaggy brown hair...  
"Daryl?" I asked the bush.  
"I told you I'm gonna keep watching you." He said.  
I laughed and nodded my head, "Okay, but right now you're just going to be watching me sit here and think to myself." I told him, "It's pretty boring."  
"Don't care, I'm not gonna trust you until I'm sure you're safe."  
I laughed again and stood up. He climbed out of the bush and we walked back to camp together.

"Alright everyone, let's get movin'." Rick called out to everyone as we carried our bags and water bottles. "We got a long walk ahead of us." He said.  
I didn't know exactly how long this walk would be, but I didn't care; as long as I wasn't alone I was happy.


End file.
